Rail fastening



J. R. SNYDER RAIL FASTENING Aug. E0, 1948.'

Filed March 27, 1945 Hai. 6

IN V EN TOR. B/qcoe Rus H 5m/DER HTToR News Patented Aug. 10, 1948 UNIT ED STATES ATsNT oFFlcE;

1 claim. l

This invention relates to fastenings ferrailway rails and the like and, more particularly, to an improved construction for rail fastenings of the kind embodying a resilient clamp'for yieldingly holding the rail against its support.

In rail fastenings of this kind a screw spike is frequently employed for connecting the clamp with the support and holding the clamp in a flexed condition. Unless some means is provided for automatically determining or obtaining thecorrect amount of deflection desired for the clamp, the spike may be driven too far or in some cases not far enough into the support or tieby the section hands. If the spike is driven too far it will hold the clamp in a fully flexed condition and the desired resilient holdingl action of the clamp will not be obtained. On the other hand, if the spike is not driven far enough there is danger thata safe and secure fastening for the rail may not be obtained.

The present invention solves this problem by providing an improved rail fastening of this character in which a gauge member is employed' fordetermining and limiting the extent to-whi-chthe rail fastener or spike should be driven into the rail support or tie. Y

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved rail fastening ofthe character mentioned, in which the gauge means is a member of a simple and economical construction readily insertable into the opening of the clamp so as to cooperate with the fastening member orspike andbecome apart of the rail fastening.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the-followingde tailed description and the accompanying sheet of" drawings in which Fig. l is a sectional plan view taken on lline I--I` of Fig. 2 and showing one form of rail' fastening' embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse verticalV sectional view taken through the fastening on 1ine2-2- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional plan view on a larger scale and further illustrating the use of the gauge member.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the gauge member in detached relation.

Fig.Y 5 is a partial sectional plan view similar to Fig. 1 but showing another rail fastening embodying the present invention, the View beingA taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a partial transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional planviewon a larger 2` scale andfurther illustrating the gauge member as used'in the rail fastening of Figs. 5 and 6l The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 provides a fastening for yieldingly holdingvv a rail I0 against a'supportl which is here'shownA as being a tie plate H resting on a'wooden tie I2. TherailV I Bis of a conventional construction whichl includes the usual headv and web portions I-Ila and Ib anda laterally extending base flange I-3.

10, The tie plate Il is likewise of a conventional construction beingan elongated substantial-ly flat" metal" plate having an upstanding rib IIll extending' thereacross in the direction of the rail Ill1 andI forming a shoulder which is engaged by the edge of the flange I`3. 'Ihe-ti'ev plate II has suit ableopenings extending there-through which may includeonev or moresubstantially square openings I5` extending through the rib I4I and one orI more circular openings lr6 located laterallyout-` wardly of the rib;

lIlhelfastening also'includes aV resilient clamp- I8-V having holding and'bearing portions 18a and' |58?)v at the inner and outer ends thereof which engage respectively the upper surface of the rail" flange If3 and the-upper' surfaceof the tie platev i I'Sa andi I8b will bridge over the rib I and will bev in4 spaced relation above the surface of the tie plate lili.' At a point between the ends 18a and |817A the clampis provided with an opening I9? located so as to overlie the opening I6 of the" tie plate and whichk is somewhat larger in plan 'dimensions than the opening of the tie plate. Forapurpose'tobe presently explained, a holdingfrecess 2li-is formed inthe portion of the clamp which defines the edge of the opening I'S `Y and which1 recess constitutes an outward exten# sion of the main opening I9.

A fasning member 22, which in 'this instance is in theform of a screw spike; has a stem portion 2-2awhich-- extends through the opening I9 of the clamp- I'iandthrough the opening I6 of the rail plate I"-I into a preformed opening 23 ofthe tie I2'. The rspike '22' also has a head 22h whose undern side' engagesone of the upwardly bowed portions' of the clamp I8; `Wl1enthe spike isdriven into 50Al the? tie I2-l for the proper distance it holds 'the clampt I8 ina flexedV condition so as to apply pressure toV the rail flange I3' for-yieldingly holding therail against the tie plate II andthe tie plate" against the tie. Y

The clamp'y |^8z is* here' shownas being also yprois the provision of the above mentioned gauge member for automatically determining the cor!" rect distance to which the spike 22 should be driven into the tie I2. The gaugemember employed for this purpose is here shown-as being a member or clip 25 which is adapted to be .in-

serted into the opening I9 of the clamp' I8 and to form a stop or spacer extending between the upf per surface of the tie plate II and the underside of the head 22h of the spike. The gauge member 25 may be constructed from metal plate or other suitable material and is curved transversely of its length so as to have a pair of spaced arms 25a and an open transversely curved recess 26 on one side thereof. This gauge member also has a laterally projecting external rib 21 onthe side thereof opposite the open recesses 26.

The radius of curvature for the arm portions 25a, and the transversely curved open recesses 26 dened thereby, preferably is such that the gauge member 25 will conform to and be easily insertable into the opening I9 of the clamp I8 and will assume a-position'in which the stem portion 22aV of the spike 22 eng-ages in the open recess 26 and the arms 25a straddle such stem portion. The

gauge member ismade of a length suitable forV the characteristics of the clamp with which it isY to be used, so that when the spike has been driven into the tie to the extent permitted by the gauge member, the I:clamp will have been deflected downwardly the desired amount for exerting the desired pressure on the rail flange. Gauge members of different lengths can be provided and when rail fastenings are being initially assembled,

or subsequently adjusted, a gauge member of an appropriate length can be selected bythe track worker to produce the holding action desired from the rail clamp.

In forming a rail fastening of the character shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the track worker applies the rail clamp I8 to the tie plate I I inthe position illustr-ated. The gauge member 25 can thenbe inserted into the opening I9 and the spike 22 driven into the tie I2 through the openings I9 and I 6 to complete the fastening. Preferably, however, the spike 22 is partially driven and before the head 22h engages the clamp I8 the gauge member 25 is inserted into the opening I9. The` spike is then driven into the tie to the full extent permitted by the gauge-member to complete the fastening.

An important advantage of the gauge member illustrated in the drawings is that the shape and open recess 26 provided for this member permit it to be inserted into the opening of the clamp I8 after the spike has been partially driven. When the gauge member is inserted into the opening of the clamp, either before or during the driving of the spike 22 as just described above, the external rib 21 engages in the holding recess 20 and this engagement causes the gauge member to be held against turning about the stem of the spike and to be maintained in a position in which it Vwill cooperate properly with the surface of the "i 25 described above.

tie plate II and will always be readily visible for inspection purposes. Whenever it is considered desirable to change the length of the gauge member being used, as for example for altering the pressure being exerted on the rail by the clamp, it is only necessary to partially unscrew the spike 22 and after substituting a different gauge member in the opening of the clamp, the spike is again tightened down.

Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing show another rail fastening embodying a gauge member 21 which is substantially identical with the gauge member In this modified form of `fastening the rail 28 is held against the tie plate 29 by means of a resilient clamp 30 and a screw here shown is also of a conventional construction '-but'is .relatively shorter than the tie plate II of Figs. l and 2.

To adapt the clamp 30 for use with this shortened form of tie plate the outer end of the clamp has alreversely bent portion 33 which has a seating or bearing engagement on the surface 0f the tie plate just outwardly of the opening 34 thereof. This outer end of the clamp 30 is provided with a slot 35 which extends through the doubled portions of the clamp and communicates with the clamp opening 36 through which the spike extends.

The gauge member 21 is inserted into the opening 36 of the clamp 30 in the same manner as explained above for the gauge member 25 except that the external rib 31 engages in the slot 35 instead of in a holding recess.

It will be noted that with both forms of clamps shown in the drawing, the gauge member will be retained in position in the openings of the clamps even though the latter are swung about the spikes, as is sometimes done after the spikes have been loosened a few turns, to permit the removal or replacement of the rail. The engagement of the rib of the gauge member in the holding recess or slot of the clamp causes the gauge member to shift with the clamp during such swinging.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing it will now be readily understood that this invention provides an improved r-ail fastening in which a, gauge member employed therein automatically determines and limits the extent to which the fastening member or spike is driven into Athe rail support or tie for otbaining the correct initial deflection of the clamp, l

vWhile my invention has been illustrated and described in Vconsiderable detail, it will be understood, of course, that it is not to be considered as being correspondingly limited in scope,r but should be regarded as including all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a rail fastening, a support, a rail on said support and having a base flange, a resilient railholding clamp having spaced portions engaging said support and said flange and having an opening therein between said portions, a fastener haV- ing a stem extending through said opening and connected with said support and a head engaging the clamp and holding the latter in a flexed condition, and a gauge member disposed in andextending through said opening and forming a spacer. adapted to be clamped directly between said support and said head for limiting the deflection of the clamp by said fastener, the por- 5 6 tion of the clamp defining the edge of said open- REFERENCES CITED ing having a holding recess therein said gauge The following references are of record in the member having an open transversely curved lonle of this patent: gitudinal recess in one side thereof and a projecting longitudinal rib on the other side thereof 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS and said gauge member being insertable into said Number Name Date opening for engaging its longitudinal recess in 2,070,019 Feld Apk 6, 1937 straddling relation with the stem of said fastener 2,127,430 Scholes Aug 10, 1933 and engaging said rib in said holding recess. 2,324,135 Chidester et a1 July 13, 1943 2,357,498 Boyce et al. Sept. 5, 1944 JACOBRUSH SNYDER' 2,357,499 Boyce et a1, sept. 5, 1944 

